Bill
Crimes Amendment (Prohibiting Shackling During Childbirth) Bill 2026
before parliament, as at 2026-08-18.
- Sponsor
- Lidia Thorpe
- Portfolio
- Not recorded
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2026-08-18
- second reading — 2026-08-18
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2026-08-18.
The bill would ban the practice of restraining people while they give birth.
It would insert a new section into the Crimes Act 1914 that prohibits shackling during childbirth and overrides any inconsistent state or territory laws.
The ban would start the day after the bill receives royal assent.
- The bill prohibits the restraint of people during childbirth.
- The bill overrides any state or territory law that conflicts with the new prohibition.
- The bill applies the ban to conduct in Commonwealth places and territories.
People giving birth in Australian jurisdictions, including in Commonwealth places and territories.
Sources
em
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